Life in a major city can be expensive. Rent typically is more expensive than in some smaller communities, and so are basic costs of living such as food. There's one additional driver to the cost of city living that can be overlooked: taxes.
Depending on which city you choose to call home, taxes can be significantly higher or lower than others, based on data collected by GOBankingRates. Here are some of the best and worst cities for taxes.
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52. New York
State income tax rate: 6.45 percent
Local income tax rate: 3.65 percent
Average property tax rate: 1.93 percent
It takes $86,446 to live comfortably in New York, found a separate GOBankingRates study, despite a median household income of just under $59,000. Having the heaviest tax burden of the 52 largest cities in America can't help.
51. Detroit
State income tax rate: 4.25 percent
Local income tax rate: 2.4 percent
Average property tax rate: 2.82 percent
Detroit has the second-highest tax burden of the cities included here, which is hardly a burden its residents can afford: The city also has the second-lowest median household income and the highest poverty rate. Despite the high taxes, though, Detroit is one of the cities where your paycheck goes the furthest.
50. Baltimore
State income tax rate: 4.75 percent
Local income tax rate: 3.2 percent
Average property tax rate: 1.52 percent
Baltimore is among the least tax-friendly cities, due in no small part to the high local income tax rate of 3.2 percent. The city does have lower expenses overall, being one of the 20 best big cities for renters, based on another GOBankingRates study.
49. Columbus, Ohio
State income tax rate: 3.46 percent
Local income tax rate: 2.63 percent
Average property tax rate: 2.03 percent
Average property taxes over 2 percent are higher than the norm, with only 11 of the 52 cities at or above that rate. Despite its tax burden, Columbus can be affordable for retirees — it's the No. 8 city on the list of places where your retirement nest egg will stretch the furthest.
48. Cleveland
State income tax rate: 2.97 percent
Local income tax rate: 2 percent
Average property tax rate: 2.27 percent
Cleveland has the lowest median household income of the 52 cities at $27,551. Higher taxes, though, didn't prevent it from being the largest city in Ohio where your paycheck stretches the furthest, reports GOBankingRates.
47. Milwaukee
State income tax rate: 6.27 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 2.56 percent
Detroit, Cleveland and Milwaukee are three of the four cities with the lowest median household income, highest poverty rates and the highest average property taxes.
46. Philadelphia
State income tax rate: 3.07 percent
Local income tax rate: 3.92 percent
Average property tax rate: 0.95 percent
The City of Brotherly Love had the highest local tax rate for residents at 3.92 percent, while the median household income is $41,449.
45. Omaha, Neb.
State income tax rate: 6.84 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 2.09 percent
Omaha's local income taxes are nonexistent for median earners. Omaha wound up in the top 10 least tax-friendly cities, however, because it is one of the 11 cities with average property taxes over 2 percent and has a relatively steep income tax rate.
44. Louisville, Ky.
State income tax rate: 5.8 percent
Local income tax rate: 2.2 percent
Average property tax rate: 0.94 percent
Louisville's property tax rates are relatively modest, but its local and state income tax rates more than counterbalance that.
43. Portland, Ore.
State income tax rate: 9 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 1.13 percent
Oregon is one of the highest-taxed states when it comes to state income taxes, and things don't look like they're going to get any better for Portland residents. Portland is one of the cities where the cost of living will rise the most in 2018, according to a GOBankingRates study.
42. Chicago
State income tax rate: 4.95 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 2.01 percent
The Windy City rises up the list of the least tax-friendly cities due almost entirely to its average property tax rate of more than 2 percent.
41. Sacramento, Calif.
State income tax rate: 9.3 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 0.95 percent
California's capital city is also the first from the nation's most populous state to make the list of least tax-friendly cities.
40. Oakland, Calif.
State income tax rate: 9.6 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 0.87 percent
Oakland's average property tax rate is a modest 0.87 percent, which ranks at the 15th lowest of the cities on this list. However, with a median home value of $746,100, the third highest, the total estimated property taxes wind up being $6,641 per annum, the fifth highest on this list.
39. Minneapolis
State income tax rate: 7.05 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 1.35 percent
The larger of the Twin Cities doesn't have any additional local income taxes, but residents get hit hard with state income tax rates and average property tax rates on the higher end of the spectrum.
38. San Jose, Calif.
State income tax rate: 9.3 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 0.79 percent
The tremendous wealth created by Silicon Valley tech firms has been kind to San Jose, which is one of just two cities on this list with median household incomes in excess of $100,000 a year. It also sent the cost of homes skyrocketing, however.
37. Long Beach, Calif.
State income tax rate: 9.3 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 0.79 percent
Long Beach has a median household income of more than $60,000 a year, putting it in the top third of the cities on the list. However, that relative prosperity hasn't extended to every resident: More than one in five of its inhabitants lives under the poverty line.
36. San Diego
State income tax rate: 9.3 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 0.78 percent
While residents of big Northern California cities tend to have higher median incomes than those of Southern California cities, San Diego households have a median income of $71,481 — the fifth highest of these 52 cities.
35. San Francisco
State income tax rate: 9.3 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 0.68 percent
San Francisco is the city where it costs the most to live comfortably, so it's a good thing it has the highest median household income at $103,801. The median home price is the highest of the cities in this study at $1.29 million, however.
34. Indianapolis
State income tax rate: 3.23 percent
Local income tax rate: 1.62 percent
Average property tax rate: 1.06 percent
Indiana's only city among the 52 largest has modest property taxes and one of the lower state income tax rates. It's the local income tax rate that's pushed its total tax burden up this high.
33. Los Angeles
State income tax rate: 8 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 0.79 percent
Angelenos are paying the seventh-lowest average property tax rate of the 52 largest cities in the country, but state income taxes still land it among the least tax-friendly.
32. Kansas City, Mo.
State income tax rate: 5.2 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 1.39 percent
The state income tax rate of 5.2 percent and lack of local income tax might have you saying "Kansas City, here I come," but the relatively high property tax rate of 1.39 percent might have you saying "Kansas City, there I go."
31. Washington, D.C.
District income tax rate: 8.5 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 0.57 percent
The nation's capital is the only East Coast city to appear among the top five for median household income: $75,000 a year.
30. Atlanta
State income tax rate: 6 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 1.14 percent
Atlanta residents are spared any local income tax, but its overall tax burden is boosted by Georgia's higher state income taxes.
29. Wichita, Kan.
State income tax rate: 5.2 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 1.32 percent
Wichita could be among the most tax-friendly states were it not for its higher-than-average property tax rates.
28. St. Louis
State income tax rate: 6 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 1.06 percent
St. Louis has a median income among the 10 lowest and poverty rate among the 10 highest of the 52 cities studied.
27. Charlotte, N.C.
State income tax rate: 5.5 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 1.16 percent
Many Charlotte residents live in relative prosperity, with a median household income over $60,000 and a poverty rate among the 10 lowest on this list.
26. Fresno, Calif.
State income tax rate: 6 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 0.91 percent
Fresno residents earn less than those in the other seven California cities listed. With a median household income of just $44,905, they're in a lower tax bracket, paying an average of 6 percent for state income taxes.
25. Fort Worth, Texas
State income tax rate: 0 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 2.32 percent
Texas is one of the states with no income tax, but Fort Worth has the third-highest average property tax rate on the list.
24. Tulsa, Okla.
State income tax rate: 5 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 1.1 percent
Tulsa is a curious case, with a median income among the 10 lowest but a poverty rate that puts it on the lower half of the list for that category. Every other city among the 10 lowest median incomes is also among the 10 highest poverty rates.
23. Houston
State income tax rate: 0 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 2.26 percent
Of the 11 cities with an average property tax rate over 2 percent, five are in Texas, including Houston.
22. Virginia Beach, Va.
State income tax rate: 5.75 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 0.89 percent
Virginia Beach is the only Virginia city in the GOBankingRates study, and its low property taxes help land it among the most tax-friendly.
21. Oklahoma City
State income tax rate: 5 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 1.06 percent
Oklahoma City has relatively light taxes, plus it's the top city where salaries are high and costs of living are low, according to a GOBankingRates study.
20. Raleigh, N.C.
State income tax rate: 5.5 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 0.86 percent
Raleigh would have climbed much further up the list of the most tax-friendly cities, but the city's high median household income helped push up the state income tax rate for the city's typical resident to 5.5 percent.
19. Dallas
State income tax rate: 0 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 2.17 percent
Dallas is the No. 4 city where rent is cheap but the cost of living isn't, according to another GOBankingRates study.
18. Albuquerque, N.M.
State income tax rate: 4.9 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 0.96 percent
New Mexico's only city among the 52 largest also features a lower-than-average property tax rate and a relatively light state income tax burden.
17. El Paso, Texas
State income tax rate: 0 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 2.13 percent
El Paso is among the 20 most tax-friendly cities. Texas being one of the states without income tax has something to do with that.
16. San Antonio
State income tax rate: 0 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 2.10 percent
The Lone Star State has the second-most cities among the 52 largest with six, just behind California's eight. California, though, has no cities among the top 25 most tax-friendly while all six Texas locales are.
15. Boston
State income tax rate: 5.1 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 0.86 percent
Boston is among the cities with the 10 highest median household incomes, and the low property tax rates mean workers are hanging on to a relatively large slice of those earnings.
14. Austin, Texas
State income tax rate: 0 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 1.97 percent
There's a clear trend when it comes to cities in Texas: all six have no state or local income taxes, but all six are among the 12 with the highest average property tax rates. Austin is the only Texas city with an average property tax rate under 2 percent, but it's just barely there at 1.97 percent.
13. Tucson, Ariz.
State income tax rate: 3.36 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 1.05 percent
The low tax burden in Tucson is likely a welcome relief for its residents. The city has among the 10 lowest median household incomes, and a quarter of its residents live below the poverty line.
12. Mesa, Ariz.
State income tax rate: 4.24 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 0.80 percent
Mesa was ranked third among cities where you can realistically live on minimum wage in another GOBankingRates study, and the low tax rates could be a part of that.
11. Denver
State income tax rate: 4.63 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 0.70 percent
The Mile High City has the fourth-lowest average property tax rate in the study.
10. New Orleans
State income tax rate: 4 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 0.74 percent
New Orleans is among the poorest cities in America, with a median income of $38,681 and a poverty rate of 26.2 percent, but its residents at least avoid a heavy tax burden.
9. Colorado Springs, Colo.
State income tax rate: 4.63 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 0.52 percent
Colorado Springs has the lowest average property tax rate on the list at just over a half percent.
8. Phoenix
State income tax rate: 3.36 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 0.80 percent
Phoenix is the only Arizona city in the study among the 10 most tax-friendly.
7. Memphis, Tenn.
State income tax rate: 0 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 1.51 percent
Although the average property tax rate is 1.51 percent, Memphis has the second-lowest median home price of the cities studied at $82,600 — which means the average property tax bill is $1,250, one of the lowest amounts in this study.
6. Miami
State income tax rate: 0 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 1.28 percent
With a median home value of $308,200 in Miami, the average annual property tax is $3,945.
5. Tampa, Fla.
State income tax rate: 0 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 1.15 percent
All of the seven most tax-friendly cities in the United States, including Tampa, get there by featuring no state or local income taxes for a typical resident.
4. Jacksonville, Fla.
State income tax rate: 0 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 1.05 percent
The three Florida cities rank in succession, and they're all inside the top 10 as the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-most tax-friendly large cities in the United States.
3. Seattle
State income tax rate: 0 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 1.03 percent
Seattle has the third-highest median household income of major American cities, which might be important, as it's also one of the 20 cities where home prices are skyrocketing, according to another GOBankingRates study. In fact, prices rose 17.39 percent between mid-2016 and mid-2017.
2. Nashville, Tenn.
State income tax rate: 0 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 1 percent
Nashville inhabitants likely have plenty of other uses for the money they're saving on taxes. The city had the third-highest cost of living increase last year at 15.4 percent, GOBankingRates found.
1. Las Vegas
State income tax rate: 0 percent
Local income tax rate: 0 percent
Average property tax rate: 0.97 percent
Residents of Sin City are shelling out the least in taxes of any of the cities studied by GOBankingRates.
Methodology: The study reviewed the effective tax rates for residents in the 52 largest cities in America, scoring them on state and local income tax rates (for the median household income in that city), and the average property tax, before combining those scores to reveal which cities have tax structures that make it easier on residents and which ones make the cost of urban living that much worse. All tax rates were sourced from SmartAsset's tax calculators.
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